Oatmeal Bars

These oatmeal bars so delicious and serve as a great alternative to many similar pre-packaged products found in the supermarket. Freeze some for future use. Preheat oven to 350°F.

3 cups whole oats
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup walnut oil
1 egg, beaten
3 tbs orange juice or water
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine oatmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl and mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, combine honey, oil, egg, orange juice (or water), and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly.
3. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and mix again.
4. Using a spatula, press mixture firmly onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet, forming one large rectangle about 1/3 inch thick.
5. Smooth the edges with the edge of the spatula.
6. Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes, until light brown and firm.
7. Remove from oven and cool.
8. Using a sharp knife, cut the large rectangle into smaller 1 1/2-inch by 3 1/2-inch rectangles.
9. Remove from cookie sheet and enjoy!

(Excerpted from: The Laptop Lunch User's Guide: Fresh Ideas for Making Wholesome, Earth-friendly Lunches Your Kids Will Love, by Amy Hemmert & Tammy Pelstring, Morning Run Press, 2002. Available online at www.laptoplunches.com.)

Gear for Luncheonistas

Nice review from the Wall Street Journal:

Lunch Date — Designer



This set includes a “laptop” bento box—a rectangular box with separate food containers inside. The set comes with a stainless-steel lunch jar (vacuum technology maintains hot or cold temperatures for four hours), a stainless-steel drink bottle and a recipe book. To keep the bento box cold, the set has a sleeve and ice pack.

The box itself fits more food than we expected. Our tester fit a burrito, refried beans, chopped tomato and cut-up fruit. We were afraid that the food inside the containers without lids would spread around the lunchbox, but they stayed put.

Read the rest of the article at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203739404574290080209331954.html

Mis-matched Sets are Back in Stock

Our cartons of 24 mis-matched sets are back in stock for only $312 per box of 24! They're great for schools, clubs, birthday parties, and more. Here's what one customer has to say:

"As far as I'm concerned, the Laptop Lunch set is THE birthday gift. To make it more affordable, I purchased one of your cartons of mis-matched sets. Whenever my daughter receives a birthday invitation, we look through the box to find the right set for that person. The price of $13 each makes the gift affordable, and the kids (and parents!) love them. Thanks so much for making these available!"



What are mis-matched sets?

From time to time we end up with "extra" containers in combinations that, if assembled, would not equate to full sets of pink, periwinkle, red, primary or whimsical. Instead of recycling them, we assemble them into these "mis-matched" sets, which are a combination of colors from all of our bento set options. We are currently offering these unique sets of 24 to our online customers for a flat price of $312.00. (This item is ONLY available in boxes of 24--WHILE SUPPLIES LAST.)

More information can be found at http://secure.laptoplunches.com/AMAZING/itemdesc.asp?ic=6000000&eq=&Tp=.

NOTE: COLORS VARY. The above photo shows only one of the many possible color combinations. (Placemat not included.)

Fruit Salad, Yogurt, and Granola

This Week's Photo



Menu

* Fruit Salad
* Yogurt
* Hemp and Flax Seed Granola


Preparation Notes

The Bento Buddies extra large container is perfect for a nice, big summer fruit salad. We've used strawberries, blueberries and an heirloom melon from the farmers' market here, but any combo of fresh seasonal fruit will do. We like to add a bit of fresh orange juice for additional juice and flavor.

Spoon some yogurt into the medium lidded container.

Add a handful of granola to the other medium container.

Enjoy separately or mix the three items together at mealtime.

Bento boxes, tiffins can revive your lunch routine

Think inside a new box with containers that inspire creative cooks to bring lunch from home.

By Addie Broyles
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Brown-bag lunches are about as exciting as the turkey sandwiches and bags of carrots usually packed inside them.

With the economy prompting more adults to pack their own lunches these days — more than 8 billion meals a year, according to NPD Group research, 40 percent of which contain sandwiches — the midday meal needs a makeover.

Sometimes, something as simple as changing your lunch container is all you need to reinvigorate the way you think about food consumed away from home.

Meet bento and tiffin, two out-of-the-ordinary lunch boxes that can help you get creative when you're packing your — or, come fall, your kids' — lunches.

Bento boxes and tiffins are self-contained lunch apparatus, which means no more plastic bags you use once and throw away and no more plastic containers and mismatched lids.

A balanced meal in a bento box

Bento boxes, which the Japanese have been using since the fifth century, contain several smaller containers that are meant to be filled with portions of three parts carbohydrate, one part protein and two parts fruit or vegetable.

[Read the rest of the article at: http://www.austin360.com/food_drink/content/food_drink/stories/2009/07/0708lunchboxes.html

Brown-bag lunch, Milwaukee style

Times are tough, but you already knew that. There are tons of websites and blogs to help you pinch pennies, cut costs and earn extra money, but have you thought about brown-bagging your lunch to lower your monthly food bill? If you're like so many other people who are spending their hard earned money on workday restaurant lunches, then this is your lucky day. Here are a few ideas to help you start brown-bagging your lunch every day and ultimately save you big money each month. Don't worry, you won't be carrying your lunch in a brown bag with grease stains or blue plastic grocery store bag, unless you really want to. You'll actually find a couple of links where you can order "custom" lunch kits and all the paraphernalia that go along with it.

Read the rest of the article at http://www.examiner.com/x-15895-Milwaukee-Lunch-Examiner~y2009m7d6-Brownbag-lunch-Milwaukee-style

Bento System 2.0 is here!

New this Summer!

Bento 2.0

THREE new products joined the Laptop Lunches product line on July 1st!

*Exclusive New Colors and Designs
*Deeper Bento Box
*3 Water-tight Containers
*All-stainless Utensils

The Flower Fun and Alien Bento Systems 2.0 are ideal for families who embrace the bento concept for its function and sustainable style, but value the insulation and appeal of the traditional lunchbox. This waste-free lunch kit comes with an insulated carrying case, an outer bento container, 5 inner food containers (3 with water-tight lids), a water bottle, a set of stainless steel utensils, and a book of creative lunch ideas. The insulated carrying case is made with 100% recycled polypropylene fabric.



Bento Buddies 2.0 Can be used on their own directly inside a lunchbox:



OR



Inside the Bento 2.0 outer container for additional configurations and for busy days when parents need an extra set of clean inner containers.


NOTE: Bento Buddies 2.0 are compatible with the Bento System 2.0. They DO NOT fit inside the original Laptop Lunches Bento Set.

Color options: berry, lime, and pink.

These products contain NO PVC, phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), or lead.

For more information, visit www.laptoplunches.com.